Esperwen- AAAH...(teardrop) One review! But 28 hits on the chapter...I don't understand! Did I lose readers with that chapter? (saaaaaadneeeesss...!)
Ew...upon reading the chapter over, I found three typos. Shame on me. I fixed that, but still. ...One review! Esperwen is saaaad! ...I've been reading too much 'Ouran High School Host Club'; I'm becoming overdramatic. Time to post chapter 10! Hopefully editing it now will soothe my nerves...
-Chapter Ten: "They're gone!"-
For the next month, Tenten found herself ignored first by Sakura, then eventually by Ino, when Pooriin finally convinced Tenten to explain to everyone the reason why she was marrying Lee. But Tenten was grateful for the fact that Pooriin, Michiko, Shino and Kiba were now supporting her. Even the caterpillar that was always on Ino's shoulder make the effort to wave at Tenten every time they passed each other; he was an ally, too.
King Gai and Lee, however, managed to remain painfully unaware of the friction that had developed between the five princesses. Especially Lee.
"I am so glad that we are to take part in youthful marriage, Tenten-chan!" Lee always told her, at least once a day, "You are not the precious blossom that my dear sister, Sakura, is, but you have your own youthful beauty!"
"Thanks," Tenten would reply through clenched teeth, but Lee never noticed, somehow.
"I admire your patience," Michiko said solemnly, while she accompanied Tenten during another of her hiding stints.
The two honorary princesses were at the palace stables, in an empty stall, far from the stable entrance so they were less likely to be heard or seen. Tenten was waving around a horse switch, pretending she still had her stick and was fighting off dragons with Neji. Michiko was sitting nearby, balanced on the door of the stall, while Shino hovered behind in the aisle, both acting as lookout and ready to catch Michiko if she should fall.
Tenten was a little jealous, glance a few times at the young couple in the corner of her eye. They were still together, able to be near each other. Shino was willing to follow and protect Michiko wherever she went, and Michiko still loved him, even though he was in the form of thousands of bugs. But here was Tenten, doomed to marry a man she didn't love, and left alone while the man that she did love was out having his own adventure. It wasn't fair.
"...Oh, I almost forgot!" Michiko said suddenly, snapping Tenten out of her thoughts.
The dark girl reached into a rucksack she was carrying and pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper. She opened the paper at one side, took one of its contents out, then offered the rest to Tenten.
"I made these for you," Michiko said, holding out the package.
Tenten accepted the gift, and looking inside, the older girl saw at least five perfect, if not a bit squashed, sticks of dango.
That's right, Tenten thought, taking out a stick and examining the dumplings closer, The sorceress that cursed Shino told Michiko to make dango. So, ever since she arrived at the castle, Michiko's been in the kitchens, making these things. ...I hope this tastes ok; Michiko's first tries were pretty...horrible...
"I think I'm getting better," Michiko murmured, as if she could sense Tenten's thoughts, breaking off a bit of dango so she could share with Shino.
"...It's great!" Tenten exclaimed, after gathering the courage to taste one, "Michiko, it's really good! You seriously made this with your eyes covered?"
"What? Of course!" Michiko answered, colouring slightly and jumping down from her perch.
Tenten was surprised; she realized from her friend's tone of voice that she wasn't blushing because of the compliment she had received. And Tenten noticed that Michiko's hands were balled into fists. At that moment, Tenten thought she heard thunder in the background, but looking out, she saw that it was sunny, so storm sounds didn't make any sense right then and there.
"Michi, what-"
"How can you say that?!" Michiko snapped, startling Tenten, "Of course my eyes were covered! If I use my eyes any time soon, Shino's going to be stuck this way!"
Michiko swung an arm back to motion to the bug swarm behind her, but instead she hit her hand against the stall wall, and then the door; immediately, the swarm flew to land on Michiko's shoulders and arms, trying to help. Tenten winced when she heard how loud of a bang Michiko's hand made; the younger girl yelped, then cradled her injured hand to her chest with a whimper.
"...Um, are...are you ok?" Tenten stammered, when Michiko didn't speak after a moment. She reached out at touched Michiko's shoulder, reminding her friend that she was still there.
"Yes," Michiko said softly, then in a humbled voice, "I'm...sorry."
"For what?" Tenten almost chuckled; the bugs on Michiko's injured arm moved aside so Tenten could take her hand and look it over, "You didn't hurt the stall."
"No...for yelling," Michiko explained softly, a couple of her usual tears slipping out from under her black blindfold, "I'm...I want Shino back so bad. And for the year to be over. I guess...maybe like the way you probably want Neji back."
Tenten blinked when she heard that; she always thought that since Shino was always around her, Michiko was happy. But apparently, even though Shino was so close, it felt to Michiko like her blindness and his curse kept him miles and miles away. All at once, Tenten felt a little guilty about her earlier, envious thoughts.
" ...you're really lucky, you know?" Michiko said, suddenly.
"How?" Tenten scoffed, trying to massage away a bruise that had formed on Michiko's knuckles, "I have to marry a total weirdo. And if Neji's found out about my engagement, he's probably pretty angry right about now. I mean...I told him I'd wait."
"Neji doesn't get mad. Just...hurt and sulky," Michiko half-smiled, "And with you, he probably won't sulk. He'll frown a lot but he'll listen while you explain why you're engaged, and then you can figure stuff out together. He's like that."
"I guess," Tenten nodded grudgingly, "But I still don't see how I'm lucky."
"...Neji isn't cursed," Michiko pointed out gently, "You don't have to see him in agony every day."
"How do you know he won't be agonized when he learns that I'm going to get married?" Tenten argued.
"Because the first thing he's going to do is look for you. He'll want an explanation," Michiko said, knowing her 'brother' well, "And when he finds you, of course he'll believe you didn't want to get married. And then..."
Michiko's voice trailed off, and she 'looked' to the side, not wanting to go on. Tenten narrowed her eyes at her friend, then let go of Michiko's bruised hand, ready for her to continue speaking.
"...and then what, Michi?" Tenten prompted quietly, raising an eyebrow and leaning towards Michiko.
"...and then you could run," Michiko whispered, Shino's swarm buzzing in agreement.
Tenten stared at Michiko, finally understanding what Michiko meant by 'lucky'. Michiko thought Tenten didn't have any boundaries for how she had to solve her problems with marrying Lee and being reunited with Neji. Now that Asuma and Kakashi were safe and far away, Tenten could technically do anything to get out of her problems...including run away.
"I can't run, Michiko," Tenten sighed, shaking her head slowly, "Asuma and Kakshi might be gone...but what about you guys? Pooriin wants to be a princess, and this castle is a safe place for you until you can use sight again, so you guys are pretty much stuck here. And Gai knows that I'm looking for Hinata; if I disappear, one of the first things he could do is track Hinata down and take her hostage if he finds her first."
"Then we'll all leave the castle," Michiko said, opening her hands to Tenten helplessly.
Tenten opened her mouth to speak, then stopped when she saw Michiko was shaking; instead, she put her arms around her friend and hugged her. That little sting of jealousy she had felt earlier was completely gone, now. Michiko might never talk about Shino's curse, but Tenten now realized that it wasn't because she was having an easy time. It was because Michiko wanted to hide her dramatic flare to keep herself from becoming a burden. Rather than forcing Tenten to take care of her, Michiko was trying to help Tenten, be it by hiding the pain she felt because of Shino's curse, or by making little gifts of dango.
"You..." Tenten couldn't help smiling a little, when she pulled away from Michiko, "You got that protective streak from Neji, didn't you?"
"I..." Michiko started to comment, then she half-smiled, "I guess."
"...I'm fine," Tenten said, flicking the horse switch self-consciously, "Don't worry about me."
"I will when you stop worrying about me," Michiko countered easily, but suddenly, she frowned and turned towards the stall's opening, as if listening.
"What is it?" Tenten asked tersely, gripping her package of dango tightly.
"It's the air. It doesn't...feel right," Michiko answered, completely serious, "And Shino says Pooriin's looking for you. You should find her. Something's wrong."
"Ok," Tenten nodded, putting the horse switch back where she found it before taking Michiko by the elbow, "Let's go."
()
Shortly after leaving the stables, Tenten, Shino and Michiko found the other royal heirs and siblings in the throne room. To their dismay, they discovered that everyone was in disarray. Normally cheerful Pooriin was sitting down on a step to the thrones' pedestal, close to tears, and nearby, Lee was in shock. Ino was at one side of the room, in hysterics, and at the other side, Prince Sasuke had a terrifying, angry look on his face while he leaned against a column, brooding. Tenten looked at Michiko strangely; how had she known something was wrong in the air?
Could it be the...dango? Tenten thought, glancing at the brown paper package in her hand, then shook the idea out of her head, No way.
"What's going on? Why is Ino freaking out?" Michiko asked worriedly, letting Shino lead her away from Tenten's side, "Pooriin, where are you?"
"Kiba's gone!" Pooriin moaned, distractedly twisting a handkerchief that Sasuke must have given her; Tenten could see the red and white fan that was his family's crest embroidered on the cloth, "And it's all my fault...!"
"I found you," Michiko breathed when she touched Pooriin's shoulder, then she sat down and linked arms with her.
"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Tenten asked, sitting down at Pooriin's other side.
"Remember that thing I told you guys a couple nights ago?" Pooriin asked, looking at both of the ex-farmgirls, and when they nodded, she continued, "I took Shino's advice, but when I did..."
"A witch took Sakura-chan and Prince Kiba away!" Ino finished in a shrill voice, looking like a stranger with dishevelled hair, "I saw everything!"
"...Purple hair..." Lee said dazedly, "...She had purple hair..."
"It was the same witch from before!" Pooriin exclaimed, coming close to hyperventilating, and Michiko put an arm around her shoulders, "It was definitely her-"
"She's not a witch," Sasuke cut in bluntly, "She's a sorceress."
"And how is that any different?!" Ino shrieked, whirling around to point at Sasuke, and almost throwing off the caterpillar on her shoulder in the process, "They're magical and they're evil!"
"No, not evil," Michiko and Sasuke said at the same time, but Sasuke let Michiko explain, "Witches go out of their way to wreak havoc. Sorceresses are just nosy."
"How is kidnapping my lovely sister and a smelly dog simply 'nosy'?!" Lee exclaimed, finally coming out of his stupor.
"His name is 'Kiba' and he's not smelly!" Pooriin snapped, then added quietly after a moment of thought, "Ok, maybe just a little."
"Here, have some dango," Tenten said, proffering the brown paper to Pooriin, "You'll feel a little better."
"I don't know; that's all Shino knows," Michiko answered Lee, with a small sigh and shake of her head.
...Wait, how does Sasuke know that sorceress isn't evil? Tenten thought, letting Pooriin take a second stick of dango while she watched the prince stand in the shadows, Who is this guy?
But she knew that the answer to that question would take time, if it would come at all, and rather than focusing on the prince, Tenten looked around the room, trying to think of what to do next. The people missing were just Sakura, one of two people that were still mad at Tenten, and a stranger that Tenten hardly knew. None of the original farmers were missing, she was glad to see; Tenten hadn't broken her promise to Neji any further.
But then Tenten looked at Pooriin. The younger girl was so upset...and it was actually showing, for a change. The tomboy-ish girl also put an arm around Pooriin, trying to lend her some strength; she hated seeing Pooriin like this. When she was sad, Pooriin acted angry or sullen; she never directly expressed it.
In the corner of her eye, Tenten saw King Gai enter the room, a haggard look on his face. He began talking to Sasuke and Ino, but Tenten didn't pay much attention. Her oldest friend was in pain; why should she care about the ramblings of an insane old man and two prissy royals?
"Hey..." Tenten gently tweaked the end of Pooriin's nose, "If you keep this up any longer, I think even Michiko's gonna get tired of crying."
"No," Michiko protested with a teary sniff, resting her head against the shortest princess' shoulder, "I'm an emotionally fragile child. This is what I do best."
"Who told you that?" Pooriin asked, raising an eyebrow, her cloudy look lifting just slightly.
"Kakashi," Michiko answered with a shrug, "You were there."
"Oh...I remember," Pooriin rolled her eyes, her sense of humour showing a little.
"That's better," Tenten smiled, tweaking Pooriin's nose again, "That's the Rini-chan we know and love."
"Stop playing with my nose!" Pooriin ordered, pushing Tenten's hand away; Tenten grinned, then got serious again for a moment.
"You sure she had purple hair?" Tenten asked in a low voice.
"Positive," Pooriin nodded, "I saw her face; it's the same witch from before. And I'm still calling her a witch; I don't care what Sasuke and Shino say."
"Please, Father!"
Pooriin and Tenten looked up at Ino's outburst, while Michiko turned her head to listen better. There appeared to be a clashing of opinions within the Royal Family.
"What's going on?" Tenten asked, getting up and stepping forward.
"I'm going after Sakura," Sasuke answered, his red eyes glinting coldly, "I think I know where the sorceress took her."
"But Father won't let me go too!" Ino exclaimed, then turned the king again, "Father!"
"No," Gai shook his head, "Prince Sasuke is trained for combat, and will be accompanied by three of my special guard. Ino-chan, you are a princess with no fighting ability, and you would be the only lady on the trip. Such a thing is both dangerous and indecent."
"I'll go with them," Tenten volunteered suddenly, "That way, Ino isn't the only girl. Besides, I've been looking for a magician with purple hair, and this is probably her."
"Now, hold on!" Lee exclaimed, waving his arms in front of his body, "This is madness! (A/N: Madness? This...is...SPARTA!! ...sorry, had a moment.) This is not as simple a thing as going on a journey to pick up my dear sister and Kiba in another, friendly country. Prince Sasuke wishes to go on a dangerous quest, and he knows he may not return. Surely you all understand that the sorceress has great magical power!"
Shino buzzed something loudly, gathering the entire room's attention, and Michiko cleared her throat before translating.
"He said, 'Shoudn't you be going too, Prince Lee? Sakura is, after all, your sister.' And..." Michiko braced herself visibly but still added, "I agree. You should at least be encouraging them, Lee."
"...this is true!" Lee said loudly after a brief moment of silent thought, "I had spoken to protect you, but you have reminded me of my brotherly duty, and that actions speak louder than words!"
Lee turned to his father with a stiffened resolve, and all present could almost see tiny flames lit up in the young prince's eyes.
That guy...is so weird, Tenten thought, rolling her eyes.
"Father, I-" Lee started.
"Forbid you to go!" King Gai said adamantly, completely extinguishing Lee's eye-flames, "Lee. You are my heir. I cannot allow you to go on such a dangerous quest. And Tenten," Gai turned to the girl in question, "Your wedding is in just two weeks. You must also stay."
"No way!" Tenten wanted to yell, but before she even opened her mouth, someone else spoke.
"Then I'll go in her place!" Pooriin jumped in, hitting a fist to the palm of her other hand and standing up decisively, "First that witch took Hinata away, and now Kiba! If anything, I have the most reason to go!"
"Pooriin, you don't have any real battle experience," Sasuke said, almost annoyed; Tenten guessed that the last thing he wanted was a handful of princesses to babysit.
"Yes, I do!" Pooriin retorted, "I'm not lying when I say Tenten and I used to live on the street! I can help protect Ino, too!"
"And let me go!" Ino said again, a slightly petulant tone in her voice, "Pooriin needs another girl to go with her, and somebody from the family has to go!"
"This isn't a vacation," Sasuke warned both Ino and Pooriin solemnly, "I'm serious about saying that we could get hurt. There are many dangers on the road; it's nothing like your sheltered valley, out there."
"I know I can watch over me and Ino," Pooriin insisted, "We'll be fine! We'll stay out of your way."
"Well then. If you're so confident in your abilities," King Gai crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Pooriin, "None of my special guard will accompany you. You are on your own."
A stunned silence followed. Was the king truly insane? Without that promised Special Guard, there were only Sasuke, Ino, and Pooriin. Just three royals to go rescue Kiba and Sakura.
"...Fine."
Again, all present turned to Michiko, who had spoken.
"Shino wants to go," Michiko said, keeping her head down but speaking in even, though quiet, tones, "He has battle and travel experience, so he will be of help to the quest. Prince Sasuke can't be the only one travelling who has fought mythical creatures before. And if they find a beast that Prince Sasuke has never seen or heard of, Shino may know how to deal with it."
"But Michiko..." Ino shook her head, "You're crippled without him."
"Not completely," Michiko pouted, with a slight toss of her head, "And I'll be staying here, with Tenten. The Lotus Castle is pretty safe, and besides...Shino's the only one left who can go, and who would be completely focused on looking for Hinata. And if anyone should be rescued right now, it's her."
()
"That was a very brave thing you did, Michiko," Pooriin said solemnly, when they all left the throne room after finalising their plans with King Gai, "I really admire your sacrifice."
"What do you mean?" Michiko asked, walking with one hand touching a wall, and the other holding onto Tenten's elbow, "I'm going. Remember what I said earlier, Tenten? We're all going to leave the castle."
Tenten and Pooriin exchanged surprised looks, then Tenten slapped her forehead while Pooriin gave Michiko a quick hug. Glancing around, Tenten made sure Sasuke and Ino were out of earshot; chances were, if they knew Michiko and Tenten were planning on tricking Gai, they would not cooperate.
"How?" Pooriin breathed, getting enthusiastic about this new conspiracy.
"Well...you have to pack extra clothes for us, to start-" Michiko began, but that wasn't what Pooriin meant.
"No, no-no," Pooriin interrupted, shaking Michiko's hand to get her attention, "I mean...how are we even going to get you two out of the castle?"
"Oh. Actually..."
Tenten and Pooriin waited expectantly, but their faces fell when Michiko shook her head.
"...I still have to work on that. But don't worry. We have a week before you leave."
Esperwen- Yaaaay! ...What, were you thinking, "Oh, great. Now Tenten's going to sit around waiting in the Lotus Castle. Oh well; at least it's not a farm." ? Because of course I'm not making her sit around, again. That would suck.
Please review! ...Please. ...please! (teardrop) My inbox is so empty without review notifications! D: